Apple eyes fitness tech with real-time sharing for competitive types

I know many people are competitive in everything they do from work to play. Some people are always looking forward to competing with others to see who's better or just claim a win. If you're this sort of person, and you like to exercise, Apple is researching some social fitness technology that would allow you to share your workouts in real-time, including performance data allowing you to compete with people you know. This is interesting, and there are some apps for Apple hardware that allow this sort of data sharing already.

The research is tipped via a patent filing called "Interfacing Portable Media Devices And Sports Equipment." The patent surfaced this week in the trademark and patent office database, but was filed on October 12, 2011. Interestingly, one of the names on the filing is Apple engineer Donald Ginsberg. Ginsberg heads up that Apple Made for iPod program.

The patent outlines a way the workout data from your Apple device can be shared in real-time with your friends who may be working out with you or on similar equipment. Apparently, if you and a friend are in the gym, and you are both on the treadmill, you would immediately be able to share data on things like speed and time so you can compete to see who can go the furthest the quickest. The coolest part is the patent claims you can share this data with people next to you in your gym or friends around the world who are working out at the same time using Wi-Fi or cellular network connection.